A long-time colleague of mine remarked the other day that he simply had to get a burger and fries, otherwise the terrorists win. The remark scored the intended laugh, but also provides a principle for the holiday season and the new year.

While we prepare for the holidays, our forces, having toppled the loathsome Taliban from power, are taking the fight to terrorists holed up in caves. They will find out what it means to wage war on the United States. But despite our victories, the terrorist threat will continue.

As the attack on the World Trade Center showed, what really bothers these people is not United States foreign policy, nor our relationship with Israel or the plight of the Palestinians. What fuels their hatred is our economic success, and how we achieve it. They have a blueprint for all societies, but ours does not fit the mold.

We have a government, limited in scope, with a system of checks and balances, and not run by any religious group. They want an all-powerful state run by all-powerful clerics. We have a market economy. They want a command-and-control setup dominated by clerics.

We have a pluralistic culture, with freedom of speech, association, and religion. They want a culture ruled by Islamic law, with no separation of church and state. They want to suppress women and members of other religions. They seek draconian punishments even for dress and grooming violations.

Since the mandate for this arrangement is divine, their reasoning goes, a nation that violates it must have achieved its prosperity through some sort of conspiracy, or by stealing it from others. Therefore, that nation must be destroyed.

These dynamics ensure that the terrorist conflict will continue. We now know that when attacked we must respond with massive force and any administration that fails to do so betrays the American people. But in America, ordinary individuals are far from helpless.

Terrorists oppose our prosperity. Therefore, those thinking about launching a business should, by all means, do so. If they back off in fear, then the terrorists win.

Americans can invest their money in American companies. They can reward entrepreneurs who provide innovative products and services. Otherwise the terrorists win. This is no time to use uncertainty as an excuse to decline making a major purchase. In these conditions cash, checkbooks, and credit cards can become effective weapons against the fear terrorists seek to engender.

Terrorists oppose our pluralistic society. Now more unified than ever, except in Berkeley, Americans can practice brotherhood and tolerance, and embrace true diversity. Terrorists oppose popular music and entertainment, so this holiday season, Americans should play instruments, sing, produce plays, watch movies, and howl with laughter.

In fact, comedians such as Chris Rock should be encouraged to find material in John Walker, also known as Abdul Hamid and “Jihad Johnny,” the misguided Marin youth who rejected the freedoms and prosperity of America, took up arms with the Taliban, and after being captured told an American reporter that he supported the September 11 attacks. If this fellow can get away with all that without becoming a bull’s-eye for comics, then the terrorists win.

The terrorists who attack us, in addition to being genocidal killers, are also a puritanical sort, seeking to mandate what people eat and drink. Americans can respond by freely and lavishly indulging in a broad variety of meats, with all the trimmings. Since we long ago did away with the insane notion of prohibition, this a particularly good time to stock up on Napa Valley merlot and pinot noir. Fear not, they will make more.

After all, ‘tis the season to be jolly. Since September 11, happy holidays and a prosperous new year have become more than just holiday platitudes. They are genuine acts of defiance, by which we win and the terrorists lose. Now is the time to put them into practice as never before.

Examiner columnist Sally Pipes is the President and CEO of the Pacific Research Institute, a California-based think tank. She can be reached via email at spipes@pacificresearch.org